Help assembling a Jet 1642

[willie sobat]

I am scheduled to take delivery of a Jet 1642 lathe tomorrow. I plan on assembling it by myself. At 450 (+) pounds assembled I assume this is no small task. Can any owners of this lathe give me information on how they got theirs together and on it's feet? Thanks.

[Jeff Rich]

Congrats on a great lathe!
When assembling my late the first thing I did was inspect it very well.
I removed the headstock and tailstock and set them aside.
I cleaned all the gunk off the ways to make handling easier and set the bed on some sawhorses. Then I gathered all the bolts and washers needed to bolt the bed to the legs. I also put the floor leveling feet on at this stage.
The legs are heavy! I started at one end, propping it up on the leg, putting in 2 bolts then going to the other end. After getting all the bolts in and sliding it into place, level the bed. I also waxed the ways at this time.
I cleaned off any gunk on the bottom of the headstock and tailstock.
Then just put them back on the bed.
The headstock is heavy as well!
It helps to have another person with you even if they are providing moral support.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Willie - my shop is in the basement, so everything had to be carried downstairs first, but like Jeff, I used sawhorses to hold the bed and then bolted the legs to it. I'm not a big guy but managed to do everything myself. If you can get someone to help, you will appreciate it!

Here is a couple of photos of when I set my lathe up: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=45736

Anther thing, when you go to take the faceplate off, loosen the 2 set screws first - it make a world of difference! DAMHIKT!

[Philip Morris]

Willie,
I essentially did it as has already been described, with one exception. Since I am over six feet tall, I needed the spindle height raised. So I built some stretcher feet and bolted the legs to them (without the leveling feet), which increased the area of the legs such that they stood on their own.

I found that the headstock/motor assembly was the heaviest, mainly because it is awkward and has no good hand holds.

Even though I assembled it myself, I ditto the others in encouraging you to have another person to help (your back will thank you).

[Richard Madison]

Good advice (use sawhorses and get help). Especially "get help". A back injury will be with you forever, and ultimately limit your enjoyment of the lathe and life in general. I used the front loader of my tractor to lift and hold the bed while installing the legs. Then set the lathe on two furniture dollies and rolled it into the shop.

[willie sobat]

Richard,

Thanks for the advice and I know you are right. But, I've been dumb with my back all my life and I'm not about to stop now:o.

[Sean Hughto]

The heaviest part is the head stock. All the others, while heavy, I found very manageable. I'm about 5' 11' average build, so I'm no power lifter. It wasn't all that hard to wrestle stuff together. It took about a half hour - with the leveling - and proceeded pretty much like Jeff describes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2592/3972778533_203c4f29bc.jpg

[Ryan Baker]

Yes, the headstock is by far the heaviest and most awkward piece (no good way to grab it). Most of the pieces aren't too bad. Put the feet on first. Put the bed on saw horses and bolt on the legs. Use a floor jack under the leg stretchers to help you level it and adjust the feet.

And Steve is right ... don't forget about those set screws in the faceplate ...

[charlie knighton]

Anther thing, when you go to take the faceplate off, loosen the 2 set screws first - it make a world of difference! DAMHIKT!


i heartily agree with Steve!!!!!!!!!

seems i turned it upside down and attached the legs, then turned it right side up?????????

[Jeff Rich]

Yes it does! Thanks Steve I forgot about the faceplate grubs!
Also, DO NOT drop the cast iron legs on YOUR leg!
I am very lucky it didn't break my leg but I did have a nice goose egg on my shin for a bit and sore for about a week.
You will love this lathe! It has turned everything I have wanted, including a 15 1/2 " bowl.
I am going to attempt some table legs this year. Maybe even some hollow forms.

[Roger Bullock]

Good advice from all above, especially the extra hand even if it is just for moral support.

I know this has nothing to do with the setup of the lath but rather its location. I find good lighting to be essential when turning. the better you are able to see your work the better it will be. Take a look at where you are going to use the lath, I'd even stand in the exact spot you would most likely be standing and see if you case any shadows. Adding light in an empty spot is much easier than trying to do it over a standing tool.

If you are like me, I wanted to start using it right away even though I was working in the shadows all the time so I did. When I finally got around to adding more light it was like "duh" should have done this from the start.

[willie sobat]

Thanks for all the advice. It came in today. I started another thread with the details. The delivery driver helped me load it in to the bed of my truck. From there I pulled around to the back of the house to the shop door. It was little bit of a pain breaking the parts down and getting them in. With the help of some ramps and an appliance dolly it went pretty smoothly. I followed everyone's advice on the sawhorses and it worked pretty well with the exception of a Laural and Hardy moment when I had one leg on and had to reach across the room to get the screws for the other leg while trying to keep the lower end from sliding off it's sawhorse. Thanks again.

The pic is in this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=129710